University of Minnesota Duluth: A Model of Sustainability in Higher Education

In December 2019, the University of Minnesota Duluth (UMD) achieved Gold in STARS (Sustainability Tracking Assessment and Rating System). STARS sets standards for institutions of higher education to measure their sustainability efforts. For years, UMD has been dedicated to making sustainability a part of every aspect of campus life. That broad commitment to sustainability is what makes UMD a model for other colleges and universities. While all of UMD’s sustainability efforts are too numerous to list here, the following is a brief look at how UMD deals with waste and waste receptacles.

Creative Reuse

During move-out, UMD places collection bins at the dormitories. Staff members sort the items. A portion of useful household items, clothing, and appliances are donated to charity. The University stores the rest to use as merchandise in its Free Store. When school re-opens, any current student can “shop” at UMD’s Free Store.

Efforts to keep useful items out of the landfill aren’t limited to students. UMD employees can post photos of unneeded furniture and office supplies to the University’s email listserv so that another UMD department can make use of the materials. Unclaimed items donated to charity or put in storage for future use.

Waste Management

Composting and single-stream recycling are an integral part of campus life at UMD. UMD performs regular waste audits to improve its waste management. The University shares the results of those audits with the community. In fact, UMD has created videos about sorting waste that displayed statistics from a recent waste audit. The UMD Office of Sustainability shared the video on its social media channels.

Bin Audits

In addition to waste audits, the University conducted waste bin assessments in 2017 and 2018. A bin audit focuses on the waste receptacles rather than what’s inside the bins. The initial audit found the campus’s waste bins did not have a consistent style. Although the campus has hundreds of waste receptacles, only 25 had signage. Worse, the signage was often outdated.

The researchers recommended the University address both issues to decrease confusion about how to sort waste. Eliminating standalone trash bins in favor of waste stations was another recommendation. The follow-up assessment found while there was still work to be done, UMD had begun making changes in line with the first assessment’s recommendations.